Method and apparatus for controllably and sequentially dispensing articles, one at a time

ABSTRACT

The dispenser is adapted to sequentially allow the withdrawal of articles such as newspapers, periodicals, magazines and the like, one at a time. The dispenser stores the articles to be vended on a carrier provided with a suspension system for controllably synchronizing the system to position the topmost article to be dispensed. The article is dispensed through a pair of control gates constructed to permit the customer to withdraw only a single article therethrough. The authorized withdrawal is accomplished following the correct value of coins being received by a coin mechanism for permitting access to the interior of the compartment for withdrawing an article through the gate control elements.

[ Oct. 30, 1973 United States Patent 1191 Pearson CONTROLLABLY AND SEQUENTIALLY Primary ExaminerStanley H. Tollberg DISPENSING ARTICLES, oNE AT A TIME Attorney-Robert Parker et [76] lnventor:

[ METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR Rune S. Pearson, 855 W. E1 Repetto Dr. 22, Monterey Park, Calif. 91754 [57] ABSTRACT The dispenser is adapted to sequentially allow the withdrawal of articles such as newspapers, periodicals, magazines and the like, one at a time. The dispenser stores the articles to be vended on a carrier provided with a suspension system for controllably synchronizing the system to position the topmost article to be dispensed. The article is dispensed through a pair of control gates constructed to permit the customer to withdraw only a single article therethrough. The authorized withdrawal is accomplished following the correct value of coins being received by a coin mechanism for 72 5 20W6 2/ lol -2 5 2 6 2 84 .lZ mB 82 ""224 "U 9 n51 U mn 9 d nn e umm flz n w w mm a ,5 maun m 3 a r. v. 1 W 3 .m 8 Tmoo e M 2 NU Z R mw 0 "W84 0 m .0 MZ m p s sm F A UIF 1.] 1]] 2 .I. 2 8 6 2 2 555 5 .l. [1:1 .I.

permitting access to the interior of the com- UNITED STATES PATENTS partment for withdrawing an article through the gate control elements.

221 7 3 16 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures 3,537,615 Kalafsky 2,501,434 Cameron 3,263,859 8/1966 Searle '1 114,475 12/1963 Etes METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLABLY AND SEQUENTIALLY DISPENSING ARTICLES, ONE AT A TIME DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing articles in a sequential fashion, one at a time, and more particularly to coin operated apparatus for controlling the vending of newspapers, periodicals, magazines and the like.

Machines and methods for dispensing articles by means of coin operated devices are well known in the art. Typical prior art dispensing machines are exemplified by U. S. Pat. Nos. 2,993,299 and 2,832,506. Machines for dispensing newspapers, periodicals, magazines and similar articles that have been developed for dispensing these articles, one at a time, are generally of a complex construction and are expensive. The dispensing of these types of articles is particularly difficult since the articles may vary in size with each issue. For example, in dispensing newspapers it will be recognized that the Sunday newspapers are generally much thicker than the daily editions. Therefore dispensing apparatus must be adapted to accommodate the continuous changing in size or thickness of the articles to be dispensed or some means for varying the mechanism for dispensing same must be provided. Because of the various sizes or thickness of periodicals, newspapers and the like, the problem of providing dispensing equipment for dispensing this type of article, one at a time, has lead to the adoption of complex mechanisms for vending purposes. More simplified dispensers have been commercially employed for dispensing such articles which do not include a complex control mechanism. These relatively inexpensive devices merely control access to the articles stored therein by means of being responsive to a coin operated mechanism. When access is provided in such prior art devices through the insertion of the correct number of coins into the coin mechanism, the operator is placed on the honor system to remove only a single article even though he has access to all of the articles stored in the compartment and may remove more than one article, if he so desires. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved dispensing apparatus for vending newspapers, magazines, periodicals and similar articles that is relatively simple and inexpensive and which controls the vending of such articles, one at a time.

The complex mechanisms of the prior art devices required for dispensing articles of varying sizes have been eliminated in the present invention through the provision of an improved method and apparatus to permit the customer to remove one article therefrom and yet assure that the customer will withdraw only one article due to access to only a single article. The present invention therefore comprehends a method and apparatus for vending articles that offers maximum security to the vendor. The security aspects of the present invention are provided through the locking and unlocking of an access door for the dispenser that allows the operator papers, periodicals, magazines and similar items that may be stacked and are susceptible to being pressurized in a stacked relationship. The method includes the method of stacking the items in a storage compartment so that they may be dispensed or withdrawn, one at a time. The stacked items are then pressurized to bring the top item up to a standard position so that when the access door is opened, the top item will be in the access gate ready for withdrawal. When the operator properly unlocks the compartment to allow authorized access to the stack of articles, the steps include relieving of the pressure on the stack of items to allow the authorized removal of one item from the stack while the compartment is unlocked and after the one item has been withdrawn from the compartment, the method comprehends preventing the unauthorized withdrawal of the second item from the stack. After locking the compartment, removal of the restraint from the stack allows the second item to be withdrawn after the compartment is again unlocked and then repressurizing the stack in the compartment.

From a structural standpoint, the present invention comprehends apparatus for dispensing articles, one at a time, through the provision of an article storage compartment having a movable platform mounted therein for receiving and storing articles in a stacked relationship. The apparatus includes means coupled to the platform to be responsive to the placement of the articles thereon for automatically moving the platform in one direction in accordance with the number of articles stored thereon so that the outer article of the stack is in a position to be withdrawn and for automatically moving the platform in the opposite direction in response to the withdrawal of the outer article from the platform for positioning it to allow a second article in the stack to be dispensed. Gate control means are mounted in the compartment adjacent to the platform that are constructed and defined to permit manual access by the operator or customer to the outer article on the platform to allow it to be withdrawn through the gate control means.

Stop control means including releasable stop means is provided for preventing the withdrawal of the outer article through said control means. The means for controllably releasing said stop means to permit the withdrawal of a single article through the gate control means and for automatically resetting the stop means to its normal position in response to the withdrawal of the article coacts with the gate control means. To assure the dispensing of only a single article at a time, the apparatus is provided with registration means mounted in the compartment for engaging the outer article stored on the platform to maintain the stored articles in a pressurized relationship to position the top item to a standard position ready for withdrawal throughthe gate control means. Further means are provided to be responsive to the authorized access to the compartment for de-pressurizing the stored articles to facilitate the withdrawal of one article from the compartment.

These and other features of the present invention may be more fully appreciated when considered in the light of the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the dispensing apparatus, with portions broken away, to illustrate the internal mechanisms of the apparatus and illustrating the open position of the top ofthe apparatus in dotted outline and embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detached, partial, elevational view of the control apparatus for the dispensing apparatus of FIG. 1 and illustrating an operator's hand in position to withdraw an article therefrom;

FIG. 3 is a detached, partial representation of the article suspension and tension relieving system for the ap paratus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detached, partial view of the structural de tails of the single access feature of the dispensing apparatus of FIG. 1 with portions broken away and the alternate positions of certain elements illustrated in dotted outline;

FIG. 4A is a partial, detached view illustrating the relationship of the pawl latching elements illustrated in FIG. 4 when an article is in a position to be withdrawn from the machine;

FIG. 4B is a detached, partial view of the pawl latching elements of FIG. 4A illustrated in a locked position at a time after a single article is withdrawn from the compartment and while the compartment is still accessible to an operator to prevent the withdrawal of a second article;

FIG. 5 is a detached portion of the access door and lock release system showing its coaction with the coin mechanism of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the coin mechanism showing its relationship with the access door of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 5 and FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the gate control mechanism for use in the apparatus of the type of FIG. 1.

Now referring to the drawings, the dispenser 10 of the present invention will be examined in detail. The dispenser 10 comprises an upstanding compartment 1 l of generally rectangular construction having a movable top 12 hinged to the back panel of the compartment 1 l by means of a hinge 13, as best illustrated in FIG. 1.

The swingable top 12 includes a viewing window 12A arranged substantially centrally of the top to allow the customer to view and identify the articles being vended. As illustrated in FIG. 1 in dotted outline, the article offered for sale is a stack of newspapers stored in the compartment 11 and the identification of the newspapers and the date thereof can be determined by the operator viewing them through the window 12A. The top 12 is provided with a further window 128 arranged below the window 12A and of substantially smaller size than the window 12A. The window 128 is constructed and defined to allow a customer to exam Inc the position of his hand when it is placed within the compartment for removing an article therefrom. The provision of the window 128 facilitates the withdrawal of an article by the operator without the need of his groping around in the dispenser to reach the article that is in a position to be vended. The top 12 also includes a coin slot 12C for receiving the coins that are delivered to a conventional coin mechanism for controlling access to and the operation of the dispenser 10 to assure that the customer or operator of the machine places the correct amount of coins into the slot 12C before an article can be properly withdrawn from the dispenser. The operation of the coin mechanism will be discussed more fully hereinafter.

The compartment 11 also includes a swingable acfront panel of the compartment 11. The access door 14 is adapted to be locked and unlocked under the control of the coin mechanism. The access door 14 is swingable on the hinge 15 to a horizontal position to allow the operator to insert his hand into the compartment II to withdraw an article. The access door 14 includes a lockable handle 16 provided with a release button 16A which is movable into and out of the plane of the door 14 for unlocking the door. When the correct value of coins have been inserted into the coin slot 12C, the access door 14 will be in an unlocked condition and may be released to allow it to be opened by pushing the release button 16A on the access door handle 16. With the operation of the release button 16A, the access door 14 may now be swung to its open position to allow access to the articles stored in the compartment.

The cover 12 also carries a register 17 mounted on the inside wall of the cover 12, surrounding the window 12A to overlie the stack of articles or newspapers stored within the compartment as best illustrated in FIG. 1. The register 17 is adapted to engage the topmost article stored in the compartment and to maintain cess door 14 mounted by means of a hinge 15 to the the stack in a pressurized relationship to position the top item to a standard position ready for withdrawal from the compartment 11.

The register 17 moves out of position when the cover 12 is swung to its open position as illustrated in dotted outline in FIG. 1. This allows the vendor to place a stack of articles, such as newspapers, on the article carrier 18 suspended in the compartment 11 for article storage purposes. In theevent that newspapers, periodicals and the like are to be vended by the dispenser 10, the newspapers can be bulk loaded onto the carrier 18 as a result of the operator having access to the carrier when the top 12 is in its open position. This facilitates the loading of the dispenser l0 and allows it to be bulk loaded in the minimum amount of time and with a minimum amount of effort.

With the access door 14 in an open position, the customer can reach his hand into the compartment to withdraw an article to be dispensed. The article is withdrawn through an aperture defined between a pair of spaced apart control gates 19 and 20, as best illustrated in FIG. 2. The control gates 19 and 20 are defined with right-hand and left-hand sections and which right-hand section of the gate 19 is identified as 19R while the corresponding cooperating right-hand gate 20 is identified as the gate 20R. The left-hand components of gates 19 and 20 are similarly identified by the reference numerals 19L and 20L.'The gate 19 is mounted in a fixed position within the compartment 11 and has an enlarged central aperture 19C coacting with the central aperture between the gates 20R and 20L for the gate 20 to accommodate the hand of the customer or operator of the dispenser 10. The gates 20L and 20R are vertically adjustable to accommodate articles of various sizes. To this end, it is well known that the Sunday edition of a newspaper is thicker than the daily edition and the daily papers may vary in thickness from day to day. The adjustable gate 20 allows the vendor to readily adjust the dispenser 10 for these varying thicknesses of newspapers with a minimum amount of effort and skill.

The adjustable gate 20 is controlled by means of a gate suspension cable 21 that may be wound around a suitably journaled gate adjustment shaft 22 mounted to the top rear end section of the gate 19R. The adjustment shaft 22 mounts a rachet wheel 23 to be rotatable therewith and coacting v Lth a pawl 24 pivotally secured to the gate 19R by means of a pivot pin 24? at the end opposite to the end adjacent the rachet wheel 23. It should be evident that the gate adjustment shaft 22 may be locked in the desired position by means of the coaction afforded by the rachet wheel 23 and the pawl 24. The vertical position of the gate 20 may be adjusted by manually winding the cable 21 around the shaft 22 so that the apertures between the gates 19 and 20 are slightly larger than the thickness of the item or newspaper being vended. This allows for ready withdrawal of the article between the gates 19 and 20. The gate suspension cable 21 has one end secured and wrapped around the shaft 22, while the opposite end is secured to the bottom end of a supporting plate 25 by means of a fastener or the like as represented by the element 25S. The plate 25 functions to support the gate 20 and is vertically guided by a pair of upstanding channels 26 and 27. The provision of the channels or gate guides 26 and 27 restrain the movement of the gate 20 in a vertical plane. It should be noted that although only the right-hand gate guide system and cable has been described and illustrated in FIG. 2, that the shaft 22 extends across the full width of the compartment 11 and only a single ratchet wheel 23 and pawl 24 are provided. This further synchronizes the movements of the two ends of the plate 25. It should now be evident that when the desired vertical position of the gate 20 is arrived at, it is suspended in the position as a result of winding the cable 21 around the shaft 22 and securing it by means of the ratchet wheel 23 being locked to the pawl 24.

The gate 19 is adapted to mount the right-hand section as illustrated in FIG. 2 of a pawl shaft 13 which is identified as the shaft 13R mounted in suitable bearings 28R and 29R. In the same fashion the left-hand section of the gate 19 is provided with a pawl shaft 13L and suitably mounted in bearings. The shafts 13L and 13R each mount a pawl 30 to be rotatable therewith. The pall 30 is adapted to extend transverse to the shaft 13R and through an aperture 19A provided for the gate 19 and through a similar aperture 20A for the guide 20R. The pawl 30 is adapted to be swingable in an upward direction in response to the withdrawal of an'article from between the guides and thereby cause the rotation of the shaft 13R.

Now referring to FIG. 3, the cable system for controlling the position of the carrier 18 will be described. It will be recognized as described hereinabove in conjunction with thegates 19 and 20 that the carrier system also has a right-hand and a left-hand suspension system, the right-hand section is illustrated in FIG. 3 and the left-hand section is illustrated in FIG. 1, the two sections being generally identical and operated through the provision of a common drum 31. The cable 49 and its coacting parts are not duplicated on the left-hand section and appear only on the right-hand section as illustrated in FIG. 3. The items that are duplicated are synchronized by the common drum 31. The drum 31 has its shaft suitably journaled in bearings 43. The carrier 18 may be constructed in the form of a tray to receive and store the articles to be vended. The carrier 18 is suspended from cables 32 and 33 arranged on opposite sides thereof and having one end secured to the end of the carrier 18 at spaced-apart points and are threaded over a pair of pulleys 34 and 35 suitably rotatably mounted to the compartment 11 above the carrier 18. The cables 32 and 33 are directed towards and wrapped around the drum 31 as they leave the pulleys 34 and 35. In one practical embodiment, the cables 32 and 33 are wrapped around the drum 31 one turn, and then are threaded through a cable guide 36 to be passed around a second pair of pulleys 37 and 38 mounted on the opposite side of the guide 36 from the drum 31 and then back to the cable guide 36 where the free end of the cable is secured to the guide by means of an anchor block 39. The cable guide 36 is provided with a pair of spaced-apart elongated apertures 36A and 36B for receiving the cables 32 and 33 respectively. The pulleys 37 and 38 are 'mounted on a common block 40 having a dependent hook 41 secured thereto for securing one end of a suspension spring 42.

The opposite end of the suspension spring 42 is secured to a suitable point on the compartment 1 l. The tension and force constant of the spring 42 is defined along with its left-hand coacting spring to hold the items stored in the carrier 18 against the register 17 under a slight pressure when the top 12 is closed. The operation of the suspension system, then, functions to synchronize the system and to pressurize the articles on the carrier 18 as well as affording a tension relieving system for the dispenser 10. As illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 3, the carrier 18 under the urging of the suspension spring 42 will move the carrier upwardly until the topmost article on the carrier 18 engages the bottom face of the register 17 and is maintained under pressure as the result of the interengagement therewith. The pressure applied to the stack of articles on the carrier 18 is to position the topmost article to a standard position for withdrawal of articles from the carrier.

The suspension system illustrated in FIG. 3 is adapted to be responsive to the opening and closing of the access door 14 when the door is unlocked by the coin mechanism. For this purpose, the access door 14 is provided with an inwardly extending finger 14F for securing one end of a door cable 44 adjacent its inner end.

The door cable 44 is wrapped once around a door drum 45 to a door tension spring 46 that has its opposite end secured to the compartment 11. The door cable 44 is locked to the doordrum 45 through the provision of a cable clamp 47 to fix the position of the door drum 45 relative to the access door 14. The door drum 45is adapted to be rotatable on a suitably joumaled shaft 45A. The door drum 45 also secured one end of a coin mechanism reset cable 48. The cable 48 is secured to the drum 45 at a suitable distance from the axis of the shaft 45A so as to couple the necessary motion to the reset cable 48 to reset the coin mechanism when the access door 14 is opened approximately lh inches, as measured at the top edge of the door 14.

Also secured to the door drum 45 is a tension control cable 49 that is wrapped around the common drum 31. The opposite end of the cable 49 is secured to a tension spring 50 having its remaining end anchored to the compartment 11. The tension spring 50 is secured to the compartment 11 at a point to place the spring in a zero force position when the access door 14 is closed. Accordingly, when the access door 14 is closed, there is no tension in the cable 49 and the common drum 31 will be free to rotate. When the access door 14 is open, the cable 49 will be placed in tension causing it to frictionally engage and grab the drum 31 and rotate the drum counterclockwise against the force of the tension springs 42 and 50 to cause the carrier 18 to back up to relieve the p essure on the stack of articles stored on the carrier as a result of engaging the register Now referring to FIG. 4 in particular, the operation of the pawl shaft 13 for controlling the withdrawal of an article or newspaper from the compartment 11 will be discussed. The left-hand section of the mechanism associated with the pawl shaft 13L is illustrated in FIG. 4. The pawl shaft 13 is under the control of a pivotable latch 51 that is pivoted about a pin 52. The lower section of the latch 51 is provided with a pad 53 for coacting and arresting a finger 14L provided to extend from the inner panel of the access door 14 as illustrated. The door 14 is illustrated in FIG. 4 in its closed position with the finger 14L engaging the pad 53 for the latch 51 to maintain the opposite end of the latch 51 dis placed away from the shaft 13L and in a position to prevent it from locking the shaft 13L by engaging the edge of a latch restraint member 55. The latch 51 is provided at one end with a locking notch SIN for coacting with a key 13K affixed to the shaft 13L so as to be secured therein when the two are juxtaposed. The latch 51 is continuously urged towards the shaft 13L through the provision of a tension spring 54 secured between the compartment and adjacent the upper end of the latch 51 between the pivot pin 52 and the notch SIN, as illustrated. It should be recognized at this point that the force transmitted by the finger 14L on the latch 51 at the pad 53 overcomes the force of the tension spring 54 to maintain the latch 51 in the spaced position from the shaft 13].. illustrated in FIG. 4. The latch 51 and the key 13K also coact with the latch restraint member 55 that is secured to the compartment by a fastener 56 to overlie shaft 13L adjacent the key 13K, as illustrated in FIG. 4. With the opening of the access door 14, the finger 14L is withdrawn from engagement with the pad 53 of the latch 51and it is therefore free to swing counterclockwise against the latch restraint member 55 and towards the shaft 13L.

With the withdrawal of a newspaper between the gate control elements 191.. and 20L and pawl 30 will be swung in a counterclockwise direction to a position such as illustrated in dotted outline to permit the newspaperto be withdrawn. The withdrawal of the newspaper causes the swinging of the pawl 30 upwardly 'and the shaft 13L is caused to rotate in unison therewith so that the key 13K is rotated to a vertical position as illustrated in dotted outline in FIG. 4, and more specifically in FIG. 4A. This elevates the latch restraint member 55 and frees the latch 51 to pivot about the pivot pin 52. This described relationship of the pawl shaft 13, the latch 51 and the latch restraint 55 allows a newspaper to be readily removed from between the gates 19 and 20 without any restraints. Upon the completion of the removal of the newspaper, the pawl 30 is adapted to be swung back into its normal position, as illustrated in FIG. 4, due to the action of the tension spring 57 secured'between the pawl 30 and the gate control element 19L. With the return of the pawl 30 to its normal position and the access door 14 still open the shaft 13L will rotate clockwise so that the key 13K will initially push the latch 51 away until the necessary alignment is reached to position the notch 51N of the latch 51 into engagement with the key 13K and prevents further rotation of the shaft 13L. This will prevent the further withdrawal of another newspaper from the compartment while the access door 14 is still open and before it is closed for the next successive operation. The latched relationship of the shaft 13L is illustrated in FIG. 48. Accordingly, the described relationship of the aforementioned parts will remain in this condition until the access door 14 is closed. With the closing of the access door 14 and the pressure afforded by the finger 14L, the latch 51 will again be pivoted to free the shaft 13L (assumes the position illustrated in FIG. 4) and the dispenser 10 will be in condition for the next successive operation.

Now referring to FIG. 5, the coaction between the coin mechanism 58 and the mechanism for latching and unlatching the access door 14 will be described. It should be recognized that the coin mechanism 58 is a commercially available mechanism that is adaptable to the presentinvention and is manufactured and sold by the National Rejector Company of St. Louis, M0. The National Rejector Company Model No. l-l 5022 with totalizer No. l303003 has been found to be adaptable for use with the present invention. It should now be understood that the coin mechanism 58 operates in a more or less conventional fashion to receive the coins inserted into the dispenser 10 through the slot 12C to be accumulated and register the accumulation of the coins and is operable for unlocking the access door 14 when the correct value of coins has been provided. It is also recognized that the coin mechanism 58 may be operated in response to varying values of coins depending upon the price of the article being vended. This is an important feature when it is considered that newspapers, for example, may be vended by the present invention and the cost varies depending upon whether it is a daily or a Sunday newspaper. Accordingly, as the coins are fed into the coin mechanism 58, their value is accumulated and mechanically indicated by the position of a movable accumulator bar 59, illustrated in FIG. 5 as projecting from the upper surface of the mechanism 58.

When the correct value of coins has been sensed by the mechanism the accumulator bar 59 will be extended upwardly the correct amount to intercept the release lever 60 mounted above the accumulator bar 59, and which coaction will be specifically described in conjunction with FIG. 6. The release lever 60 is pivoted to a release bar 61 about a pivot pin 62 coupling the two together. The release bar 61 is mounted adjacent one end of the compartment 11 by means of a pair of upstanding members 63 and 64 provided with apertures 63A and 64A to receive the bar 61 for sliding engagement therein. Assuming the interengagement of the accumulator bar 59 and the release lever 60, for the present, it should be noted that this will cause the release lever to rotate about its pivot point 62 until it engages the access door lock member 65. The door lock member 65 is mounted above the lever 60 with one end secured around a pin 65a and the opposite end engaging the door catch 66. The interengagement of the release lever 60 and the access door lock member 65 will be effective for raising the forward portion of the door lock out of the door catch 66. The door catch 66 is mounted to the inside wall of the access door 14 for extension through the member 64 for engagement with the lock member 65. The door catch 66 is provided with a pair of locking notches identified as the notches 66A and 668. The first notch 66A locks the access door 14 before the single access feature is unlocked. The second notch 66B locks the access door 14 flush 67A defined for locking engagement with an L-shaped catch 67B defined adjacent the latch 67 on the plate 67C interconnecting the upstanding members 63 and 64. The lifting of the member 65 with the latch 67 engaging catch 67B enables customer to open the access door 14. The lock latch 67 is reset by the provision of a flag 13F constructed integral with the pawl shaft 13R and extending over the latch 67 to provide engagement with the latch 67 and flag 13F upon shaft rotation. The flag 13F will be effective in moving the latch 67 out of the catch 67B allowing lock member 65 to again engage door catch notch 66a and 66b when door 14 is closed, thereby locking door 14.

The operation of the coin control mechanism 58 in controlling the locking and unlocking of the access door 14 can now be briefly examined. Prior to the accumulation of the correct value of coins in the coin mechanism 58, when the operator pushes the release button 16A it will merely cause the release bar 61 to translate in its bearings. After the correct value of coins are accumulated in the coin mechanism 58 and the operator pushes the release button 16A, the translation of the release bar 61 will cause the release lever 60 to rotate about its pivot pin 62 into engagement with the access door lock member 65. The interengagement of these latter two elements will lift the access door lock member 65 releasing door catch 66. Lifing the access door lock 65 also latches the door open by means of the lock latch 67 engaging the catch 67B. The access door 14 will then remain unlocked until an article is removed from the compartment 11 to thereby rotate the shaft 13R and disengage catch 678. The coin mechanism accumulator bar 59 is reset by opening access door 14 as will be evident immediately hereinafter. This, then, places the coin mechanism 58 in condition for the next article to be vended after the access door 14 is again closed and locked and the mechanism signals the correct entry of coins by means of the position of the accumulator bar 59.

Now referring to FIG. 6, the operation of the commercially available National Rejector's coin mechanism 58 will be described as it is adapted for thepurposes of the present invention. The coin mechanism 58, as is conventional, accumulates the value of the coins deposited on a ratchet wheel (not shown) normally provided for the mechanism. The ratchet wheel engages a sector gear (not shown) which carries a pin 70. The accumulator bar 59 is actuated by the pin 70 as a result of the coin accumulation to move it upwardly the appropriate amounts in response thereto. The accumulator bar 59 carries a shoe 71 which is adjustable by means of a wire 72 and is adapted to fit in one of the two slots 59D and 598 at the outer end of the accumulator bar 59. The wire 72 is illustrated as being connected between the slot 598 and the shoe 71 and extending therebetween in a vertical relationship. The notches 59D and 595 are adapted for setting the coin mechanism 58 to be operative in response to different set values of coins for setting the price of the article to be vended. For the purposes of vending newspapers, both daily and Sunday editions, the notch 59D can be set to correspond to the price of a daily newspaper,

while the notch 598 may correspond to the price of the Sunday paper. With the wire 72 in one of these notches it will cause the shoe 71 to move upwardly with the accomulator bar 59 to intercept the release lever 60 when the price of the Sunday paper has been accumulated in the coin mechanism. In the same fashion, when the price of the daily paper is accumulated, the release lever 60 will be engaged by the shoe 71, the starting point of the shoe being different due to the difference in price. The coin mechanism 58 is reset by forcing the sector gear within the mechanism back to its original starting position. For this purpose a pin 73 is mounted to the accumulator bar 59 between the notched end thereof and the shoe 71. The pin 73 is adapted to be intercepted by a reset arm 74 extending longitudinally into the coin mechanism above the access door lock and outwardly of the member 63. The reset arm 74 has a notched end 74A for securing one end of a coin mechanism release cable 48 that is secured to the door drum 45. When the reset cable 48 is pulled down by the on the accumulator bar 59 and force the sector gear and the accumulator bar 59 back into is original position. This is evident since the interengagement of the reset arm 74 and the pin 73 will cause the accumulator bar 59 to travel downwardly into the coin mechanism 58 for forcing the sector gear back into its original position.

With the above structure in mind, the operation of the dispenser 10 can now be reviewed. The operation of the dispenser 10 will be described as the dispenser may be employed for vending newspapers, both daily and Sunday. For this purpose the vendor will open the compartment 11 and swing the top 12 upwardly to the position illustrated in FIG. 1. Assuming daily newspapers are to be vended, the stack of papers will be placed on the carrier 18. As a result of increased weight on the carrier 18, the carrier will be moved downwardly into the compartment a distance depending upon the number and weight of the papers placed on the carrier 18. In one practical embodiment of the invention the interior of the compartment 11 has 36 inches of interior newspaper capacity. Considering the average daily newspaper has 224 pages per inch of thickness, the interior capacity would be approximately 193 (40-page) papers or 96 (SO-page) papers or 66 (l30-page) papers and the like. The opening between the gates 19 and 20 will be set in accordance with the thickness of the newspaper. The vendor will also set the wire 72 in the daily notch 59D to set the coin mechanism 58 to respond to the coin value of .the price of a dailyi Due to the provision of the suspension system for the carrier 18, once the cover 12 is placed back into its closed position, the carrier 18 will have the topmost paper positioned into a pressurized position with the register 17.

The dispenser 10 will now be ready for operation and vending of the newspapers through the correct number of coins being placed into the dispenser at the slot 12C. At this time, also, the access door 14 is locked.

It will nowbe assumed that the correct number of coins are inserted into the slot 12C and the coin mechanism 58 correctly accumulates these coins and positions the accumulator bar 59 in accordance with the selected coin values to cause the shoe 71 to actuate the linkages for unlocking the access door 14. The unlocking of the door 14 and the subsequent opening of the door will rotate the door drum 45 and thereby actuate the coin mechanism reset cable 48. The coin mechanism 58 will then be reset and the door catch 65 will be latched open through the action of the latch 67 and catch 678. It should now be appreciated that the door 14 can be opened by depressing the release button 16A to cause the release bar 61 to be translated, and the release lever 60 to intercept the shoe 71 of the accumulator bar 59. The shoe 71 will cause the release lever 60 to rotate about its axis 62 and engage the access door lock member 65 to unlock the access door 14 and latch member 65 in open position. The door 14 will remain unlocked until the newspaper is removed through the gate control system.

At this point it should be noted that the opening of the access door'14 will tension the cable 49 to rotate the drum 31 against the force of the springs 42 and 50 to cause carrier 18 and the stack of papers to move downwardly into the compartment 11. This will disengage the register 17 from the topmost paper and depressurize the stack. 7

With the access door 14 open, the operator, or customer, may insert his hand into the compartment 11 at the apertures provided at the gates 19 and 20 for freely withdrawing the newspaper. Upon viewing the relative position of the newspaper and his hand through window 128, the operator grasps the newspaper and withdraws it towards himself in an essentially horizontal plane from between the gates 19 and 20. It will be recognized that the gates 19 and 20 have been adjusted to accommodate the thickness of the particular newspa: pers being dispensed so that the apertures provided between these gates is slightly larger than the thickness of the newspaper being vended. With the withdrawal of I the newspaper from between the gates 19 and 20 the pawl 30 is moved out of the path of the newspaper as it is being withdrawn and thereby rotates the pawl shafts 13L and 13R. The rotation of the shafts 13L and 13R will initially cause the key 13K to engage and lift the latch restraint 55 and allow the latch 51 to move toward the shaft 13L as illustrated in FIG. 4A to permit a paper to be withdrawn.

After the paper is withdrawn from between the gates 19 and 20, the pawls 30 will be returned to their normal position in a transverse relationship with the shafts 13L and 13R, as illustrated in FIG. 4, and cause the interengagement of the shaft key 13K with the notch SIN of the latch 51; see FIG. 4B. This will lock the shafts 13 in position, while the access door 14 is still open and prevent the withdrawal of a second newspaper for the price of one. This condition will remain as long as the access door 14 is maintained in an open condition. The rotation of the shafts 13 in response to the withdrawal of the newspaper will unlatch the door catch 65 so that it can again engage member 66 and thus lock access door 14 when said door is closed. With the closing of the access door 14, the finger 14L will engage the latch 51 at its shoe 53 to cause it to be disengaged from the shaft key 13K as illustrated in FIG. 4 and thereby release the shaft l3L,'but only do so after catch 65 has engaged 66a. The closing of the door 14 will also relieve the tension on the cable 49 and the springs 42 and 50 to cause the remaining papers to move upwardly and the topmost paper engages the register 17 to once again pressurize the stack. The dispenser is now in condition to allow a second newspaper to be withdrawn once the proper amount of coins are inserted into the coin mechanism 58.

Now referring to FIG. 7, a simplified embodiment of the invention will be described wherein the maximum security features of the above described embodiment are not realized. The embodiment of FIG. 7 incorporates the single access feature of the aforementioned embodiment and is an improvement over the presently available honor system dispensers that are commercially employed. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the access door 14 is either left completely off or is merely constructed to be maintained in a closed position without being locked to protect the internal mechanisms of the dispenser from the weather. The spring counterbalance system for the carrier 18 is adjusted for this embodiment to bring the top item on the carrier 18 approximate to the aperture formed between the fixed gate and the adjustable gate 81. The components associated with the back-up system for relieving the pressure on the stack of articles are also eliminated. The enlarged section in the center of the gates 80 and 81 is made greater in vertical extent to accommodate for variations in the position of the top article on the carrier 18 with the density of the articles stored thereon.

This embodiment also employs the commercially available coin mechanism 58 having the accumulator bar 59 extending outwardly therefrom as illustrated in the right-hand section of FIG. 7.

The gates 80 and 81 are provided with pawl apertures 80] and 81P respectively for accepting the swinging movement of the pawls 82 mounted to the pawl shafts 83 extending longitudinally over the fixed gate 80. The shafts 83 are mounted in the usual fashion with suitable bearings 84 and 85 at opposite ends thereof. The righthand end of the pawl shaft 83 is provided with a pawl shaft arm 86 which carries a pin 87 adjacent its outer extremity. This pin 87 is the bearing for the coin mechanism 58, a reset arm 74 and a short link 88 forming one-half of a toggle 90. A long line 89 forms the other half of the toggle 90. The two links 88 and 89 have a common bearing at the pin 91. The long link 89 is provided with an elongated, longitudinally extending slot 89A which rides on a fixed pin 92. The toggle 90 is held straight and urged in the downward direction by a projection 93 provided for the short link 88 which overrides the link 89. The longer link 89 carries a downwardly extending projection 898 which interceptsthe accumulator bar 59 when the correct value of the coins has been passed to the coin mechanism 58. A return spring 94 of circular construction is wrapped around the free end of the shaft 83 and is effective to return the pawls 82 to their normal position after an article is withdrawn.

In the operation of the simplified embodiment, any attempt to remove an item from between the gates 80 and 81 tends to remove the pawls 82 and rotate the shaft 83. If the correct value of coins has not been accumulated by the coin mechanism 58, the movement of the pawls 82 will be limited by the length of the slot 89A in the long link 89. When the toggle 90 is moved in response to the rotation of the shaft 83, the link 89 is moved until the end of the slot 89A reaches the fixed pin 92 to thereby arrest the pawls 82 and any further movement of the toggle 90. This will prevent the unauthorized removal of a newspaper due to the locked condition of the pawls 82. On the other hand, if the correct value of coins has been registered, the accumulator bar 59 will be extended to a position so that the projection 89B for the long link 89 will intercept the accumulator bar 59 as the long link 89 starts to move in its slot 89A. As the link 89 moves further alongits slot, the link is positioned to rotate about the fixed pin 92. The rotation of this link will also unlock the link 88 and break the horizontal or straight position of the toggle 90 and thereby unlock the pawls 82. The withdrawal of a newspaper or article, then, will not be arrested by the position of the pawls and the pawls will be moved out of the path of the newspaper as it is withdrawn between 'the gates 80 and 81. As the pawls 82 move, the coin mechanism 58 is reset by the resulting movement imparted to the coin mechanism 58 by the reset arm 74. When the newspaper is completely removed, the system will be returned to its original position by the circular spring 94 secured to the shaft 83. The spring 94 merely causes the rotation of the pal] shaft 83 to bring the pawl 82 back into its vertical relationship with their respective slots 80! and 81? for the next dispensing operation.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for dispensing articles in sequential fashion, one at a time, said apparatus including an article storage compartment,

a movable platform mounted in said compartment for receiving articles to be dispensed and storing them in a stacked fashion,

means coupled to the platform to be responsive to the placement of the articles to be dispensed for automatically moving the platform in one direction an amount in accordance with the number of articles stored thereon to a location where the outer article is in a position to be dispensed and for automatically moving the platform in the opposite direction in response to the manual withdrawal of said outer article from the platform for positioning another article at said position to be dispensed,

gate control means mounted in said compartment adjacent said platform and constructed and defined to permit manual access to the outer article on the platform to allow a single article to be manually withdrawn through the gate control means, said control means including releasable stop means for vnormally preventing the withdrawal of the outer article through said control means, and

means for controllably releasing said. stop means to permit the manual withdrawal of an article through the gate control means and for automatically resetting the stop means to its normal position in response to the withdrawal of an article.

2. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 1 including register means mounted in the compartment for engaging the outer article stored on the platform to maintain the stored articles in a pressurized relationship to position the outer article to a standard dispensing position, and means responsive to the operation of the releasing means for de-pressurizing the articles to facilitate the withdrawal of the articles at the standard position.

3. Apparatus for dispensing articles comprising an article storage compartment,

an article storage platform movably mounted in the storage compartment and adapted to receive and hold the article in a stacked relationship,

means for movably suspending the storage platform for bidirectional movement in the compartment,

means constructed and defined for coaction with the storage platform to restrict manual access to the articles on the storage platform to the outer article to allow manual withdrawal from .the stack only through said thus defined means, the platform responding to the withdrawal of an article therefrom by moving in a direction to position the successive outer article of the stack to be accessible to be similarly withdrawn from the platform,

means constructed and defined within the compartment and overlying the stack of articles on the platform for engaging and registering with the outer article of the stack, said suspension means normally maintaining the stack of articles in a preselected pressurized condi tion against said latter mentioned means and adapted to move the platform into said condition with the sequential withdrawal of the articles,

stop means constructed and defined to be positioned into and out of the withdrawal path of the articles through said withdrawal control means,

means for controlling the access to the storage compartment to allow the authorized withdrawal of a stored article,

means for actuating said control means to cause the suspension means to be responsive to the operation of the control means to move the platform in a direction to de-pressurize the stack of articles and to cause the operation of the stop means to allow only a single article to be manually withdrawn from the compartment with each actuation of the control means.

4. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 wherein the storage compartment includes a swingable door for opening and closing the compartment and constructed and arranged to allow the bulk storage of a stack of articles onto the storage platform when opened. v

5. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 4 wherein said door includes transparent means for viewing the articles stored in the compartment when the door is in a closed condition.

6. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 5 wherein said door includes means for viewing the position of an operators hand when placed into the compartment for withdrawing an article.

7. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for actuating said control means comprises a coin operated mechanism for actuating said control means only when a predetermined value of legally issued coins are received by said mechanism, said mechanism including means for resetting the mechanism coupled to the control means upon actuation thereof.

8. An apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 4 wherein the means for controlling access to the compartment comprises a lockable access door for the compartment arranged opposite the article access control means to allow an operator to position his hand therein for withdrawing an article, and the actuating means for the aforementioned control means is a coin operated mechanism for the compartment adapted to maintain the access door in a locked condition and unlocked in response to the receipt by the coin mechanism of a predetermined value of coins, said mechanism including means for resetting same coupled to the access door to be responsive to the opening of the door.

9. An apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 wherein said suspension means includes counter balancing means for the storage platform.

10. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 including means for adjusting the size of the withdrawal means for accommodating articles of different sizes stored in the compartment.

11. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 including lat'ch means adapted for coaction with the stop means and normally arranged to allow the stop means to be moved out of the path of an article being withdrawn and moved in a position to latch the stop means during the interval one article has been withdrawn and prior to the reoperation of the actuating means thereby preventing the successive manual withdrawal of articles for one operation of the actuating means.

12. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar items one at a time including the steps of stacking the items in a storage compartment to be dispensed one at a time, pressurizing the stack for positioning an item of the stack to a preselected dispensing position, securing the compartment to prevent the unauthorized access to the stack in the storage compartment,

unlocking the compartment to allow authorized access to the stack of items, relieving the pressure on the stack of items to allow the authorized removal of one item from the stack,

manually withdrawing an item from the compartment while the compartment is unlocked and after the one item has been withdrawn from the stack preventing the unauthorized withdrawal of a second item from the stack,

locking the compartment after the withdrawal of one item, v removing the restraint from the stack to allow a second item to bepositioned to be withdrawn after the locked compartment is unlocked, and repressurizing the stack in the locked compartment.

13. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar items as defined in claim 12 including the step of positioning the outer item in the stack in said preselected dispensing position to be withdrawn from the compartment including after the successive withdrawal of the items from the stack.

14. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar compressible items one at a time including the steps of storing the items in a stack in a storage compartment,

restricting access to the items of the stack from outside the compartment to the item at the end of the stack when the compartment is unsecured,

pressurizing the stack for positioning the outermost item of a stack to a dispensing position,

. securing the compartment to prevent the unauthorized access to the items of the stack in the storage compartment,

unlocking the compartment to allow authorized access to the stack of items through said restricted access, relieving the pressure on the stack of items to allow the authorized removal of one item from the said end of. the stack through said restricted access, manually withdrawing the one item from the stack,

while the compartment is unlocked and after the one item has been withdrawn from the stack preventing the unauthorized withdrawal of a second item from the stack,

locking the compartment after the withdrawal of one item,

removing the restraint from the stack to allow a second item to be positioned to be withdrawn after the locked compartment is unlocked, and repressurizing the stack in the locked compartment.

15. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar compressible items as defined in claim 14 including the steps of bulk loading a stack of items into the compartment for storage therein, and

adjusting the restricted access to said one end of the stack in accordance with the size of the items to be dispensed.

16. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar compressible items as defined in claim 15 including the step of automatically moving the stack to position the item at said one end of the stack at said restricted access following each successive withdrawal of an item from the compartment. 

1. Apparatus for dispensing articles in sequential fashion, one at a time, said apparatus including an article storage compartment, a movable platform mounted in said compartment for receiving articles to be dispensed and storing them in a stacked fashion, means coupled to the platform to be responsive to the placement of the articles to be dispensed for automatically moving the platform in one direction an amount in accordance with the number of articles stored thereon to a location where the outer article is in a position to be dispensed and for automatically moving the platform in the opposite direction in response to the manual withdrawal of said outer article from the platform for positioning another article at said position to be dispensed, gate control means mounted in said compartment adjacent said platform and constructed and defined to permit manual access to the outer article on the platform to allow a single article to be manually withdrawn through the gate control means, said control means including releasable stop means for normally preventing the withdrawal of the outer article through said control means, and means for controllably releasing said stop means to permit the manual withdrawal of an article through the gate control means and for automatically resetting the stop means to its normal position in response to the withdrawal of an article.
 2. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 1 including register means mounted in the compartment for engaging the outer article stored on the platform to maintain the stored articles in a pressurized relationship to position the outer article to a standard dispensing position, and means responsive to the operation of the releasing means for de-pressurizing the articles to facilitate the withdrawal of the articles at the standard position.
 3. Apparatus for dispensing articles comprising an article storage compartment, an article storage platform movably mounted in the storage compartment and adapted to receive and hold the article in a stacked relationship, means for movably suspending the storage platform for bidirectional movement in the compartment, means constructed and defined for coaction with the storage platform to restrict manual access to the articles on the storage platform to the outer article to allow manual withdrawal from the stack only through said thus defined means, the platform responding to the withdrawal of an article therefrom by moving in a direction to position the successive outer article of the stack to be accessible to be similarly withdrawn from the platform, means constructed and defined within the compartment and overlying the stack of articles on the platform for engaging and registering with the outer article of the stack, said suspension means normally maintaining the stack of articles in a preselected pressurized condition against said latter mentioned means and adapted to move the platform into said condition with the sequential withdrawal of the articles, stop means constructed and defined to be positioned into and out of the withdrawal path of the articles through said withdrawal control means, means for controlling the access To the storage compartment to allow the authorized withdrawal of a stored article, means for actuating said control means to cause the suspension means to be responsive to the operation of the control means to move the platform in a direction to de-pressurize the stack of articles and to cause the operation of the stop means to allow only a single article to be manually withdrawn from the compartment with each actuation of the control means.
 4. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 wherein the storage compartment includes a swingable door for opening and closing the compartment and constructed and arranged to allow the bulk storage of a stack of articles onto the storage platform when opened.
 5. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 4 wherein said door includes transparent means for viewing the articles stored in the compartment when the door is in a closed condition.
 6. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 5 wherein said door includes means for viewing the position of an operator''s hand when placed into the compartment for withdrawing an article.
 7. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for actuating said control means comprises a coin operated mechanism for actuating said control means only when a predetermined value of legally issued coins are received by said mechanism, said mechanism including means for resetting the mechanism coupled to the control means upon actuation thereof.
 8. An apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 4 wherein the means for controlling access to the compartment comprises a lockable access door for the compartment arranged opposite the article access control means to allow an operator to position his hand therein for withdrawing an article, and the actuating means for the aforementioned control means is a coin operated mechanism for the compartment adapted to maintain the access door in a locked condition and unlocked in response to the receipt by the coin mechanism of a predetermined value of coins, said mechanism including means for resetting same coupled to the access door to be responsive to the opening of the door.
 9. An apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 wherein said suspension means includes counter balancing means for the storage platform.
 10. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 including means for adjusting the size of the withdrawal means for accommodating articles of different sizes stored in the compartment.
 11. Apparatus for dispensing articles as defined in claim 3 including latch means adapted for coaction with the stop means and normally arranged to allow the stop means to be moved out of the path of an article being withdrawn and moved in a position to latch the stop means during the interval one article has been withdrawn and prior to the reoperation of the actuating means thereby preventing the successive manual withdrawal of articles for one operation of the actuating means.
 12. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar items one at a time including the steps of stacking the items in a storage compartment to be dispensed one at a time, pressurizing the stack for positioning an item of the stack to a preselected dispensing position, securing the compartment to prevent the unauthorized access to the stack in the storage compartment, unlocking the compartment to allow authorized access to the stack of items, relieving the pressure on the stack of items to allow the authorized removal of one item from the stack, manually withdrawing an item from the compartment while the compartment is unlocked and after the one item has been withdrawn from the stack preventing the unauthorized withdrawal of a second item from the stack, locking the compartment after the withdrawal of one item, removing the restraint from the stack to allow a second item to be positioned to be withdrawn after the locked compartment is unlocked, and Re-pressurizing the stack in the locked compartment.
 13. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar items as defined in claim 12 including the step of positioning the outer item in the stack in said preselected dispensing position to be withdrawn from the compartment including after the successive withdrawal of the items from the stack.
 14. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar compressible items one at a time including the steps of storing the items in a stack in a storage compartment, restricting access to the items of the stack from outside the compartment to the item at the end of the stack when the compartment is unsecured, pressurizing the stack for positioning the outermost item of a stack to a dispensing position, securing the compartment to prevent the unauthorized access to the items of the stack in the storage compartment, unlocking the compartment to allow authorized access to the stack of items through said restricted access, relieving the pressure on the stack of items to allow the authorized removal of one item from the said end of the stack through said restricted access, manually withdrawing the one item from the stack, while the compartment is unlocked and after the one item has been withdrawn from the stack preventing the unauthorized withdrawal of a second item from the stack, locking the compartment after the withdrawal of one item, removing the restraint from the stack to allow a second item to be positioned to be withdrawn after the locked compartment is unlocked, and re-pressurizing the stack in the locked compartment.
 15. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar compressible items as defined in claim 14 including the steps of bulk loading a stack of items into the compartment for storage therein, and adjusting the restricted access to said one end of the stack in accordance with the size of the items to be dispensed.
 16. A method of dispensing newspapers or similar compressible items as defined in claim 15 including the step of automatically moving the stack to position the item at said one end of the stack at said restricted access following each successive withdrawal of an item from the compartment. 